In acquiring Tim Hill from the Royals, the San Diego Padres showed their urgency to return to the postseason.
On the surface, the San Diego Padres acquisition of Tim Hill would appear to be a fairly minor trade. Hill is a middle reliever – a sidearming lefty who is far more effective against left handed hitters than righties. The cost to acquire Hill was not particularly high either, with blocked outfielder Franchy Cordero and somewhat intriguing prospect Ronald Bolanos heading to Kansas City.
In his two seasons in the majors, Hill has been solid. He has posted a 4.11 ERA and a 1.219 WHiP in his 85.1 innings, striking out 81 batters with 27 walks. In that time, he has held lefties to a .211/.276/.248 batting line, striking out 31 batters in 147 plate appearances. However, over 212 plate appearances, right handed hitters have produced a .259/.332/.434 batting line against the sidearmer.
This acquisition involves a decent amount of risk for the Padres. Hill is essentially a lefty specialist, a role that is becoming extinct with the new rules regarding relievers facing a minimum of three batters. But he is also an extreme ground ball pitcher with a 59.8% ground ball rate since making his debut two years ago.
That success in generating grounders will play up with the Padres’ infield. Manny Machado and Eric Hosmer are Gold Glove winners at the corner infield spots. Fernando Tatis struggled at short, but has a perfect mentor in Machado, and displayed improvement during 2019.
The acquisition of Hill also furthers the message that the Padres are all-in on 2020. The loss of Jose Castillo was a blow to the bullpen, but Hill can help minimize that impact. He may not have the upside of Castillo, but he is a solid reliever in his own right.
Hill also serves another, specific, purpose. The Dodgers have a pair of tough lefty hitters in Corey Seager and Cody Bellinger, who are projected to hit back to back in the lineup. If Hill can close out an inning by getting that duo out, and protect a lead for the Padres, that moment could make a major difference, especially in a short season.
Acquiring Tim Hill may not be the type of trade that grabs headlines for the San Diego Padres. Nonetheless, it could be an important deal for 2020.